Free A or An Article Checker
Use 'a' before words that begin with a consonant sound, and 'an' before words that begin with a vowel sound. It's about sound, not spelling — that's why it's 'an hour' (silent h) but 'a uniform' (sounds like 'yoo'). The checker flags every 'a/an + word' pair and verifies the rule. For other word-pair confusables, try our Affect/Effect or Then/Than checkers.
Flagged Issues
How the A or An Checker Works
The checker finds every standalone 'a' or 'an' and examines the next word. It checks whether the next word begins with a vowel sound or a consonant sound — using a small dictionary of silent-h words ('hour,' 'honest') and 'y/eu/u' words that start with a 'y' sound.
Rules & Best Practices
1It's about sound, not letters
'An hour' (silent h, vowel sound). 'A uniform' (u sounds like 'yoo,' consonant sound). 'An honor.' 'A university.'
2Numbers depend on pronunciation
'A one' (sounds like 'wun'). 'An eight.' 'A two.' 'An eighty-year-old.'
3Acronyms depend on first letter sound
'An FBI agent' (F sounds like 'ef'). 'A NASA program' (sounds like 'nasa,' a consonant sound). 'An MBA.' 'A UN resolution.'
4British vs American differs slightly
'An historical' (British, treating h as silent) vs 'A historical' (American). The checker assumes American conventions.
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